Those little things
by twentyfour.mad
Summary: Karen thinks back over the past 24 hours and further. Chapter 2 is up Bill thinks back to when he was introduced to CTU LA. BillKaren. Please R&R. Season 4, 5 and 6 spoilers.
1. Love, Rings and Truth

**Love, Rings and Truth**

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own 24 Fox does, if I did hmmmm, let's just say things would be much different. 'Chuckles evilly in the next room'.**

**Enjoy.**

Funny little things rings are when you get one it shows love and trust in this one little gift sometimes two if you're lucky. Funny how when you take ones' ring off for a long period of time, people might be under the impression your love has gone, disappeared for the one you'd loved. Karen kept thinking.

She'd split up from her husband after 7 years, she thought he was the one, the right person, but she was obviously wrong. Once Karen had signed the final divorce document she'd taken her ring off and thrown it into the bushes behind her house. She realised it wasn't a smart idea when some days later, her colleagues at work started asking questions about why her ring wasn't on, she had to go through her garden- searching for that single gold ring. When she'd finally found it and put it back on the questions of her relationship at work died down. Why she felt the need to have the ring on and making sure no one knew about her divorce was beyond Karen.

So after that she wore her ring of deceit, which suited very much to her liking because she had more important things on her mind than to start a relationship. All she had to do was flash her ring and the men would walk away confused, for on her profile it said she was single. Not saying there were many men who would ask though for Karen was quite a workaholic, and everyone knows being a workaholic and trying to start a relationship is a big NO-NO!

Except there was that day, the day of her most exhausting 24 hours moving from Homeland to CTU where she met the most amazing man, Bill Buchanan. He'd changed here forever.

A simple breakfast invitation quickly declined, but soon accepted mere minutes later, turned into something more serious.

Her ex-husband's ring was put disposed of, when she got a beautiful diamond ring to decorate her hand. She was sure of it then, Bill Buchanan was the man for her. Not only did the ring show it, but also so did his compassionate nature, his sympathetic actions, everything about him, it made her even more drawn to him than ever. No other man had made her feel like so. _What did I do to deserve such and amazingly talented man?_

She felt like the luckiest women on Earth.

Their Wedding and Honey moon was terrific and Karen go another beautiful ring to add to her collection. Their tropical Honeymoon was decided on by both of them and neither regretted it bringing back many memories and pictures.

Moving to Washington DC was hard though, leaving her newly wed husband and their nearly perfect routine life. It took Karen some time to get used to living by herself in a condo again, but she felt much better after hearing Bill's voice soothing her on the phone for an hour or so every night.

Then that dammed Reed Pollock, trying to escape the death penalty by telling the DOJ everything. Including the incident when Bill had Fayed detained and released him because there wasn't enough evidence to hold him, and how she blue-coded it at Homeland.

Firing Bill was the hardest thing ever; she knew she'd chosen the wrong choice by having to fire Bill from the Job he loved. It ate her up inside, especially when he hung up on her and when she tried calling his again he didn't pick up.

But when Jack rang her and asked for her help, she couldn't decline, except she needed more help and the only person she could turn to was her husband, Bill.

Trying to get a hold of Bill was really difficult, but she finally got through to him, she wanted to apologise to him, but he didn't let her.

Thankfully before she knew she was to be taken into custody she got to thank him, and tell him how sorry she was. She told him that she loved him very much, and she was so glad he said that he loved her too.

Funny little thing love is, it could be lost forever or patched up just like that.

**I hope you enjoyed it, please review!**


	2. Jobs, Life and Fate

**Jobs, Life and Fate**

This is for all those Bill Karen shippers out there, you know who you are.

I'm sorry it has taken me so long to update!

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own 24 Fox does, but maybe, just maybe I'll own Fox in the future.**

**Enjoy.**

Funny things Jobs are, jobs are meant just for making money and nothing else. It's meant to be stressful and hard, which makes you in the end hate it.

Bill completely agreed with the statement saying Jobs are stressful and hard but disagreed that you have to hate your Job. Bill always loved his Jobs; you got a chance to save your country and meet new people along the way. During his time at Division he'd met a wonderful person, Michelle Dessler. They had a professional relationship but it ended on that disastrous day. When a missile was just destroyed before hitting its target, Michelle got backed to her _changed_ husband and Jack Bauer got supposedly killed.

24 24 24 24

He thought that day was the worst of his life but it was beaten by the day when Michelle was murdered; Jack Bauer came back from the dead and the lethal Sentox gas to into the air conditioning. The Sentox gas was one of the most horrific scenes he'd ever experienced. His employers and work mates were dieing right before his eyes. But all he could do was watch as the gas slowly killed them.

He then suddenly saw someone jogging into the main floor- it was Edgar _Oh God_ Bill thought.

Edgar had collapsed at a station and huffed something Bill couldn't understand- but later as he thought about he wondered did he say 'Chloe'?

All alone in his office, Bill only made and received phone calls.

As he watched Lynn McGill painfully died from the gas- he didn't know what to feel. Those hours to Bill felt so un-real, those people he'd known for so long, those people he'd employed and trained, they'd gone… just like that.

Then those Homeland Security people arrived. He was darn angry they'd came at first- but later that day, he was thankful to God, for that encounter brought him Karen, Karen Hayes.

The first impression of her was a serious workaholic who didn't have much time for… anything else really. But then after the major crisis was over, it seemed to him- although she was this crazy workaholic, she didn't do exactly everything by the book, she let was she believed to be the right course of action, to take charge. The same thing Bill does.

Once those 24 hours had passed, he'd found himself asking Karen out for breakfast. Even though she declined, and said rain check- it still gave him a huge thrill, and to see that smile of hers' he felt like she had just accepted his invitation.

24 24 24 24

Some months later he found himself kneeling in front of Karen and asking her to marry him, opening up a small box with a diamond ring inside. Seeing her so over-joyed with happiness he put the ring on her as she agreed to marry him. She'd told him she loved and him and he said he did too.

That was the happiest day of his life, and he remembered the wedding like it was just yesterday- life was going just perfectly until that day…

"I don't want to go, Bill, it'll mean leaving LA, my life and more importantly you,"

"I know you wan to go Karen, Wayne needs you, who could do a better job?"

"But Bill, I need you… I can't just leave…"

"Yes you can, honey. You can do whatever you want. If you choose to go, I will support you 100, if you decide you want to stay I will support you with your decision."

"You really will?"

"Of course honey,"

"I love you,"

It was hard for Bill letting and persuading Karen to go to Washington DC. He knew he'd said the right words, for Karen was smiling a tearful smile at him.

24 24 24 24

Jack Bauer, the day he was brought back from China, was like a day in Hell.

Having knowledge of nuclear attacks he worked hard to stop the missiles launching, and the attacks on his country.

When Bill got to talk to his wife privately in his office, Karen told him he had to be fired- when she said that all these emotions came over him. Why did his wife want him fired, from the job he loved? He knew someone was pressuring her, he just didn't know whom, because she kept denying it.

After a while Bill couldn't take anymore of what his wife was saying; having been earlier angered when she said he had to be fired, so he hung up on her in outrage. He heard the phone ring seconds later, he knew it was his wife and didn't bother answering.

He tried to take in the whole phone call conversation. Oh God, he thought afterwards, what had he just said…. what did he just do? But Bill put all his regrets aside and instead he felt himself welling up with anger, towards his wife and himself.

How can a life change so much in a matter of seconds. Bill kept thinking, as he was led out of CTU.

24 24 24 24

Entering his home, he saw men searching through his house for anything and everything.

After an hour or so he decided to go up to his bedroom, where he saw a photo of him and his wife during their honeymoon, that tropical honeymoon… his mind drifted back to those days where he and Karen were happily together…. he let his mind wander but he was quickly brought back to reality when he heard some FBI agents entering the spare bedroom next door. He quickly got changed into more casual clothes and ran down to the living room.

As he neared the bottom of the stairs though Bill heard his cellphone ring. Pulling out the phone from his trouser pockets he flipped it open and looked at the screen.

It was his wife, so he pocketed the phone and looked up at the agents in his living room. He quickly saw an agent looking through his family photo album, so he snatched the album out of the agent's hands and argued him on the matter, in the end the agent threatened Bill, he'd lay charges if he didn't let him do his job. So Bill dropped the album and walked away stubbornly.

Hearing the home phone ring he let it go, so the answering machine would pick it up.

It was his wife again- she needed his help, she didn't know where else to turn.

The anger towards her disappeared, as she talked, he was worried, so he picked up. She thanked him for picking up but he just brushed it aside, Karen needed his help and he wanted so much to give it to her.

Karen told Bill that Phillip wanted to make an exchange, the sub circuit board, for Josh. The President had agreed to the exchange, but Jack and Karen believed it was a set up, and that Phillip would get the boy keep the sub-circuitboard and make a deal with the Chinese. Jack and Karen needed his help so he agreed.

He had just managed to intercept the car holding Jack thanks to his wife, so he was glad when the phone rang and he answered it, it was Karen.

_Hi Karen._

_Hi._

_I've got Jack and I'm on my way._

_I just…. I wanted to thank you. You didn't have to do this, you made a big sacrifice._

_I'm not the only one, it wont be long till they figure out how I was able to locate Jack._

_Yeah well they already have, I've just been denied access, they're probably on their way to arrest me. Listen, I don't know when they'll let us speak to each other again, so I just want you to know that I'm so sorry, and I love you very much._

_Me too._

_They're here. Good luck!_

24 24 24 24

As Bill and Jack arrived at the beach, Phillip's men had already taken Josh, and Doyle was critically injured from the explosive decoy FB sub-circuitboard.

Nadia told Jack and Bill to return to CTU to be debriefed, because there would be an air strike by Navy F-18 against the oil platform the sub-circuitboard, and Josh were on.

Jack and Bill didn't comply with Nadia's orders though, and with Bill's help they commandeered the CTU chopper and flew towards the oil platform.

_Now I'm part of the game, the game Jack always plays._ Bill kept thinking.

Jack killed the men guarding the platform retrieving Cheng and Josh. He then jumped off the platform grabbing hold a ladder connected to the chopper, later letting go and dropping down into the water. He signaled Bill to fly off without him back to CTU because he wasn't ready.

Arriving back at CTU again was quite strange for Bill. He complimented Nadia on her good work after everything that had happened over the past hours when she was in command.

24 24 24 24

Sitting in one of the CTU Lounges he heard his cellphone ring.

"Buchanan,"

"Bill…. I…." the person on the line started before she was cut off.

"Karen… is that you?" Bill said standing up.

"Bill, I'm glad you're alright. I'm sorry…." Karen blurted out.

"Karen slow down, why… how…. are you still in holding?" Bill replied calmly.

"No Bill, Noah dropped the charges against… us, we're free." Karen stated.

"That's great, honey" Bill smiled, "Are you alright, did they hurt you?"

"Bill, I'm fine…. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have fired you, I should have stood up for you, for us…" Karen sniffled.

"Its fine Karen, I over reacted. You're more important to me than my job, I never meant to hurt you." Bill said soothingly.

"Same here Bill, I just wish I could turn back time and change things." Karen sighed.

"I know we all wish we could honey, but we can't we just have to move on."

"I know, I know."

"So, where are you now" Bill asked curiously.

"I'm in the airport Bill, I'm coming home." Karen grinned

"You're coming back to LA, Karen…. I'm…. I'm glad."

"Yeah… Oh Bill I have to go my flights boarding. I'll see you at home in about 6 hours okay. Oh and Bill, I love you and I'm sorry."

"Me too. Bye."

Funny thing fate, sometimes you can predict what's going to happen and sometimes you just have to wait and see.

**A/N: This Chapter was a bit rushed, I'm sorry about that; but I hope you enjoyed it, please Review!**


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